Democrat Rocky Adkins, a former senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear, has entered Kentucky’s gubernatorial race.
Adkins, a former Democratic primary challenger to Beshear in 2019, served on the governor’s staff for seven years. He resigned on July 10 in preparation to launch his gubernatorial campaign. Adkins entered the race on July 21.
Originally from Elliott County in eastern Kentucky, Adkins represented Kentucky’s 99th Congressional District in the state’s General Assembly. Over his career, he rose to the rank of majority leader in the Kentucky House of Representatives, a post he held from 2004 to 2017. He served as the House’s minority leader from 2017 to 2019 before resigning to campaign for governor.
Adkins will face off against Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman in 2027’s Democratic primary.
